Africa CEO Forum tips Nigeria’s UBA, BUA for Geneva awards

Chairman of Honeywell Group and winner of Africa CEO of the Year 2016, Oba Otudeko (third left) and other winners at last year’s edition of the Africa CEO Awards in Cote D’Ivoire.

Some Nigerian companies and other African businesses that made the most impact on the continent in 2016 will be recognised in Geneva, Switzerland early next week.

Every year, the Africa CEO Forum Awards recognise companies and investors whose strategies and performance contributed most to Africa’s growth dynamic over the past year.

This year’s get-together of leading companies and their chief executives will be held on 20 and 21 March in Geneva and, for the fifth consecutive year, will salute the economic performance of African business leaders and companies at the 2017 Africa CEO Forum Awards.

The award categories include the CEO of the Year and Young CEO of the Year, African Company of The Year and African Bank of the Year, among others.

The Africa CEO Forum is the most high-profile international forum on the continent’s private sector development.

Nigeria’s United Bank for Africa and Ecobank, among four others, are in the African Bank of the Year category while Nigeria’s Abdulsamad Rabiu, CEO of the BUA Group could emerge the CEO of the year if picked above five other nominees.

On the night of March 20 in the presence of Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, one of the finalists in each of the six categories.

“For the past four years, over 120 African and international companies and investment funds and more than 30 CEOs, all emblematic of Africa’s economic vitality, have been nominated. 19 awards have been given, including four prestigious CEO of the Year awards,” a statement distributed by the Africa Media Agency said yesterday.

Developed in partnership with the African Development Bank, the Africa CEO Forum is an event organised by Groupe Jeune Afrique, publisher of Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, and Rainbow Unlimited, a Swiss company specialising in organising events promoting and facilitating business.

“Launched in 2012, the Africa CEO Forum has become the leading international meeting on the development of Africa and its companies, in a top-level professional setting,” accor5ding to the organisers.

Last year’s edition was held in Cote d’Ivoire and hosted more than 1,000 African and international personalities, including 600 business leaders from 43 African countries and 100 high-level speakers.